


Accommodation

by yaboyj



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Queer Character, Canon Trans Character, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gender Dysphoria, Healing, M/M, Transitioning, mentioned surgery, mentioned surgery scars, oswald relaxes in ed's apartment, they put on makeup together, weirdly intimate moments between a crime boss and a forensic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-22 13:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13167549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yaboyj/pseuds/yaboyj
Summary: Oswald chills in Ed's apartment.





	1. 1.

Oswald turned in the floral bed covers away from the light pouring into the studio apartment. Light green flooded the darkened room from neon signs outside the window. Distant sounds from the streets below faded away from his consciousness as he pressed his greasy raven hair flush against the silky pillows that had been piled up against the head of the bed. With the hourly chime of a coo-coo clock he had come to dread, he pushed away the bedding and hobbled weakly off the bed that didn’t belong to him.

The pale sickly man started on the daily routine that began since he had been able to limp again. Moving absently around the apartment he pulled something unknown from the fridge that was wedged between counters, cramped like the rest of the foreign room. The cool air seeped into his skin and he quickly moved away from the icy tiled corner with a shiver.

Drifting back towards the bed, he finished the snack from the kitchen and sat wearily on the edge of the mattress feeling it compress under his weight. He let out an heavy breath, feeling his chest burn as the air left his lungs, rubbing a weak hand over the cotton bandages wrapped around his chest. With a breathless laugh he couldn’t help but remember the tight feeling of his chest he’d forgotten since he’d stopped binding after Fish had paid for his surgery. With his laugh, pain flared through his upper body and he held back a cough lest he worsen his injuries.

Pulling the pink and green patterned blankets around his shoulders, he curled in on himself, the soft feeling of his borrowed pajamas lulling him back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next hour he dragged himself out of unconsciousness, the coo-coo clucked ten times before leaving Oswald in peace. He rolled onto his opposite side within his cocoon of bedding, reveling in the silence before it was broken once again at the sound of metal scraping against the hardwood flooring of the flat’s entrance.

“Mr. Penguin, I’m home.” The lanky man said earnestly as he stepped into the home and locked the door behind him. Oswald let out a half-hearted groan as he listened to the younger man attempt to catch his interest with tales of his day at the GCPD. Despite the uplifting pep talk he’d given the fallen crime lord, Oswald still stiffened in his presence and at how easily Edward had adjusted to their current situation. He often went on for hours if allowed, as if he had never been able to speak for more than moments at a time, leaking out increasingly meaningless strings of words like a broken faucet. Just as he was now.

Oswald found it was easier to let him ramble on, than to cut him off and sit through an uncomfortable session of tense silence. So that was what he did; sit silently, letting Edward’s daily spill of information he keeps bottled up all day wash over him as background noise. He kept some of it against his better judgement; How Ed enjoyed cranberry muffins, or had beat a contestant on the trivia radio station he listened to every other weekday. Oswald didn’t know what he was keeping these tidbits for, but ignoring this man who went purposefully unnoticed every day when he was sitting right there in front of him felt unusually cruel even for the former crime boss.

As well as despite his own wishes, he had felt an unwanted allure to the spindly man resting at the edge of the mattress. In the moments he wasn’t overcome with the pain of his lost mother and fallen kingdom, he thought of the endless riddles and uncannily knowing advice about his loss given to him by this stranger who had approached him on a whim one morning and saved his life another night. It was a pointless attraction Oswald had felt sparingly in the past, but it was easy to ignore: for now. Even Edward’s over talkative nature had become a relaxing kind of white noise to Oswald, which was information he was determined to keep hidden from this quirky young man.

When Edward’s ramblings finally reached their end as he had recounted nearly his entire day and the events of the GCPD, he ended on a final pointless question, “How was your day?” Oswald couldn’t help but let out another laugh that he knew would send a sharp burn through his ribs.

“I slept all day, as usual. And my ribs have been burning, as usual.” He said with a plastic smile and tired eyes. Edward quickly leaned forward- and in turn Oswald leaned back- pulling away the covers he had wrapped himself in to look at his healing injuries.

“Perhaps I should change your bandages, it’s been about a week and in my initial haste I may have wrapped them a bit tight.” He said worriedly, moving across the room towards a cabinet and digging out a few supplies. As he returned to the bedside, Oswald let out a resigned huff and limply let Edward pull his plaid green pajama top off his shoulders. Despite the quiet intimacy between them as Edward unwrapped the bandages surrounding his chest, cold hands slightly trembling as they smoothed over his scabbing skin, Oswald couldn’t help himself from letting out: “Not like I haven’t felt it before.”

Edward was silent while he pulled the last of the wrapping away, his eyes drifting to the fading scars beneath Oswald’s upper chest. His fingers wavered, as if he wanted to run his hands across the light marks, but he decided against it and let his hands drop. Oswald, for a brief second in the moment, almost wanted to pull his hands into his own. To press the other man’s hands onto his chest, but pushed the thought out of his mind in embarrassment, his flushed cheeks hidden by the neon light still flickering through the window to their right.

Edward wrapped the new bandages, careful not to put too much pressure on the healing wounds, with an endearing smile he failed to hide. Oswald couldn’t help himself from missing the closeness when Edward's weight left the mattress.

“Is there anything more you’ve needed while I’ve been at work?” The tall man started as he wandered briefly through the corner of his home devoted to the kitchen and began making himself something to eat. Oswald thought briefly, but one thing abruptly urged itself to the front of his mind.

“I’d like some makeup.”

He was prepared to shoot Edward down if he’d anything to say, not that the other man had been anything but strangely compliant to his wishes since the day he’d woken up in his bed sheets, but he had been through the routine in the past. Oswald wasn’t prepared however, for Edward to disappear into the bathroom and bring out a plastic box filled with just what he had requested.

“I already had some on hand. Both for forensic and personal use, but I admit I don’t have much experience with it.” He laid out some brushes and other products as he talked, his voice slightly high with nervousness. “I did suspect you might want some once you were feeling better, but I wasn’t sure which brand you preferred so I bought some of each a couple nights after I brought you here.” His face was bashful, and Oswald could guess he didn’t share this small part of his life- or any part of it- with others often. Oswald looked over the products, recognizing a few he’d used, but most of them were cheaper, less recognizable brands. He held back a quick feeling of disgust, knowing how expensive this much product was, and how he used to save his cash for even one of these products before he began his work with Fish.

“Do you have a mirror?” Edward spared a glance at the box between them, “There’s the one in the bathroom.” Oswald paused, before spreading away the bedding and limped off the bed with effort. Edward followed quickly behind, eager at the change in atmosphere from the past few days, carrying the makeup box with him.

 

* * *

 

“Hand me the eyelid primer.” Oswald said, sitting atop the counter and facing the mirror. He could see Edward scramble to fulfill his request through the mirror, and with a sympathetic look the greasy man turned to his side and pointed towards the container. They work in unison like that for a while as Oswald reapplies his old look, dark purple eyeliner almost hiding away the tired bags under his eyes.

“Oswald?” Edward asks, a twinge of anxiety in his voice. Oswald sees him swallow in the mirror and his voice is more calm. “Could you do me?” Oswald pauses from applying glitter to his upper brow.

“Do you?” Edward scrambles, “Well, I could ask you to teach me but it’s essentially all practice. I’m interested in what you could do with my look.” He’s awkward, and abrupt, but Oswald couldn’t say no. And when he found himself applying bright green eyeliner to the other man who’d pressed himself onto the counter next to him- staring into his wide brown eyes that flinched instinctively at his touch- he couldn’t complain.

Putting the finishing touches, he laid a layer of purple lipstick over Edward’s bright pink lips, and a small green question mark under his left eye. Oswald pulled away with a content breath, sending a shiver over Edward’s skin.

“Open your eyes.”

He did, turned towards the mirror, and gave the brightest smile Oswald had ever seen on a man in Gotham. With an uncontainable laugh of happiness, Edward clapped his hands together excitedly, before turning back to Oswald, “I love it!” and in turn Oswald couldn’t help the soft smile on his lips.

With a weak yawn Oswald pulled himself off the counter, Ed following, before his legs collapsed under him and he fell towards the floor. Edward grabbed frantically, catching him with a gasp before he hit the tile, pulling him into himself.

“My legs… fell asleep.” Oswald offered in an embarrassed whisper, his lips flush against Edward’s neck, his arms wrapped tight to hold himself up.

With a huff, the taller man pulled his arms under him, lifting Oswald up and carrying him back to the bed. Laying him down with trembling arms under his weight, Edward pulled Oswald’s arms off from around his neck, “It’s late. You need rest for proper recovery.” Oswald groaned before rolling over, “Can’t sleep with makeup on...”

“I can clean it off while you rest.”

Oswald would’ve complained, but he could not fight off the pull of sleep on his weary consciousness. In the last moments after his head reached the pillows, he felt the floral blankets pulled over him and a soft hand brush over his cheek. But not, the soft press of violet lips to his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was mostly me trying to write a fic for the first time so it's really directionless lol but I'm trying.


	2. 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get takeout and cry (but only a little!)

The old fashioned clock hung on the far left wall clucked for the fourth time, before leaving the apartment silent, and Oswald yawned before sitting back against the oak headboard. He huddled in the floral comforter at the feeling of the cool air settled over the mattress. He thought briefly of suggesting a space heater to his roommate before ripping the blankets away, cringing at the feel of tile on his bare feet as he dragged himself to the small bathroom nearby.

Spitting the sour taste in his mouth into the sink, he stared at his reflection before grabbing a purple children’s toothbrush decorated with small penguins on the handle. His skin was less sallow in the past days since he’d visited the bathroom for the first time with Ed and the bags under his eyes were rapidly disappearing as his healing progressed. Rinsing his mouth he gave a final glance at his disheveled appearance, before moving back to the soft mattress and collapsing atop the flowery pattern. Sighing in content, he rolled over carefully avoiding his injured side and bad knee, and listened to the silence in bliss.

It did not last long, cut short by the default ringtone of the white plastic landline at the bedside table. With a sigh Oswald let it ring a couple times eventually reaching to grab it before the call ended.

“Oswald? Are you alright?” Edward’s voice rang out statically from the other side, a common yet repeated occurrence as Oswald tended to ignore the first calls Ed had made to him in the earlier days of his recovery. Oswald let out an exhausted sigh, “Yes, my friend.” Edward audibly swallowed his initial stress.

“Ah… You didn’t answer at first, again.” Oswald resisted rolling his eyes, despite Ed not being there to see it either way.

“I’m going to be home early tonight, it was a slow day here so I haven’t had any work to keep me late. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

As he went to say goodbye, Oswald was cut off by the dead tone signalling that Edward had hung up. He sighed, hitting the end button, before dropping the phone next to the bed and laying his face against the silk feel of the pillows. Letting out a huff he drifted back to sleep, unconsciously awaiting Edward’s return.

 

* * *

 

Oswald could hear the clock sounding from the edges of his consciousness, but before he can drag himself from sleep he is shaken awake. Letting out a sound of frustration he opens his eyes about to sound out a few less than polite words at his sleep assailant before he comes face to face with deep brown eyes and the strong smell of Chinese takeout.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” His attacker speaks with a smile, offering one of the boxes of takeout for the sleepy man below him. “I got dinner on the way home.” Taking the warm box in his freezing hands, Oswald seeps the heat into his skin and his frustration fades.

They both move to sit at the small wooden table in the farthest corner of the apartment, Edward rushing to grab cutlery and glasses, before digging into the meal. Oswald listens once again to Edward’s daily recount, smiling at the mentions of Gordon’s failings on a recent case and Ed’s ramblings about his recent medical examinations. He had been trying to pay more attention to the eager man over the last few days, but despite this he still zoned out occasionally. Oswald was brought back by the sight of Edward twirling chopsticks and singing a tune he didn’t recognize. It brought a smile to his face as he watched his friend begin to sing happily to this foreign tune, unable to contain his enjoyment.

Oswald found himself swept up in the contagious emotions of the other man, both mentally and physically as Ed took his pale hands and they began to move rhythmically around the table humming to a flurry of other tunes. Edward moved with purpose, but was mindful of Oswald’s still healing limbs and crippled leg as he twirled the shorter man around him. Bumping into the dining table as they danced, Oswald let out a short laugh of pure joy, holding tight to Edward’s hands in his own. With twin smiles they returned to dinner and cleaned up the dishes between them with short bursts of humming from the two of them throughout the task.

When Oswald fell to the mattress in exhaustion, he didn’t even mind that Edward climbed in next to him. They had not previously shared the bed to Oswald’s knowledge, with Ed’s ever fluctuating schedule at the GCPD and Oswald’s unpredictable sleeping habits while healing, but Oswald thought it was bound to happen as it was Edward’s home and he was hard-pressed to give up his routine habits.

Still when the younger man let out the hushed question, “Is this okay?” Oswald found himself smiling at the kindness and answered with a nod. He watched in silence as Ed sat up, stripping himself of his daytime clothes, leaving him in only a thin white tee and tight red boxer briefs, before returning to under the covers. Oswald swallowed, desperately hoping the warmth in his chest didn’t reach his cheeks, and rolled onto his back to avoid staring at the man weighing down the mattress to his left.

He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of street cars blow their horns at each other drift through the walls of the building for a while before he felt Edward tap him gently on the shoulder. With caution he rolled onto his side to face the other man, taking note of the way his hair curled over his forehead naturally and shifted under the covers. Ed was silent as he stared at Oswald, eyes drifting over him aimlessly as if he had forgotten what he’d signalled the other man for to begin with.

Embarrassed by the eyes wandering over him, Oswald felt his voice come out harsher than intended.

“What?”

The smallest feeling of guilt pooled in his gut when Edward responded by dragging his gaze away in embarrassment. Against his own will he let a whispered apology slip from his lips, and Edward returned his gaze with the slightest curiosity flooding his dark eyes.

“Can I ask you a question… Of a more personal nature.”

Oswald was content to refuse, but the waver in Edward’s voice begged him to reconsider.

“Sure.”

Edward was silent for longer than he might of intended, his fingers twisting as his thoughts stirred, before he swallowed his anxiety and spoke.

“What did it feel like after your transition?” His eyes were wide and open like a child's, full of curiosity and just the slightest bit of fear hidden behind their dark brown centers. Oswald was silent for a moment, lost staring into those eyes, before unfocusing his gaze while pressing more into the pillow beneath his head.

With a small smile he closed his eyes, remembering his mother’s choked up laugh as he woke up post-operation. “ _My little boy, finally you are shining bright.”_

“Beautiful.” He let out with a relieved sigh, feeling his eyes become glassy and his throat grow tight. “My mother… she was there when I woke up and I finally felt like I was the person I’d been hiding in my head for so long. Always feeling like I was in a body that…” He paused, at a loss for words before Ed continued for him.

“That didn’t belong to you…” His voice was soft, his eyes knowing as he gazed into Oswald’s before breaking the stare with a bashful look. Oswald felt a lone tear drop down his cheek, falling at the curve of his smile.

Ed silently wiped it from his face, rubbing his wet fingers over the floral design of the covers.

They laid in silence for a moment, Edward punctuating the conversation with a ‘thank you’ that would’ve been inaudible in any other context. Oswald’s eyes followed the small movements of his lips, before nodding and rolling back over, unable to keep himself from staring any longer otherwise. In the next uncounted minutes they laid awake, Oswald felt Edward’s breath brush against his neck and he drifted into sleep, later unaware of the warm feeling of his body entangling with the other man’s as they both slept through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the plot.... thickens (but in a gay way)
> 
> i'm having fun w/ this ty to everyone who's read it i hope y'all are also having a good time


End file.
